Good for AFSCME. The union did its job.
AFSCME members voted Wednesday night on a proposal where they will take a wage freeze for one year, and in return, the city will not lay off any workers through the remainder of the contract, which expires Dec. 31, 2010.
I think it would have been fairer to the rest of us if the no-layoff period and the wage freeze period had ended up the same, considering how this affects flexibility in dealing with the financial crises; but, at least they’re holding firm on th — oh, wait.
In addition, AFSCME’s health insurance premium costs will not go up in 2010, Biernacki said. Currently, employees pay 15 percent of the premium, which was supposed to increase to 20 percent on July 1, 2010.
How does the city’s continuing to pick up that 5% of the premium for 70 employees affect the purported $480,000 in FY2010 savings achieved with a citywide wage freeze? The question must be asked and answered before Council can vote on the proposal. I tried to look at Monday’s meeting agenda online to see if it is addressed in a memo but not only did the agenda not load properly, it messed up my browser.
3 comments
Comment by Mac McIntyre on July 11, 2009 at 11:28 am
I didn’t find where the AFSCME insurance was covered in any more detail. I picked up about a one inch stack of revised pages for the FY2010 budget that was adopted on June 22nd.
I’m supposed to replace the pages in my notebook with the replacement pages. That will take me some time. For now I’ve given the replacement pages a purview and I haven’t found anything in the expenses to account for the adjustment in AFSCME premium costs. Of course, these replacement pages were compiled before the AFSCME agreement was reached.
So I should probably expect more replacement pages so why don’t I just wait until all the replacement pages have been replaced. :-)
There’s a lot of fund transfers in this budget that has not been accounted for. Services rendered by the engineering department within the TIF districts will not be paid for from the General Fund but instead through TIF. ReNew DeKalb’s funding was cut 10% and the remainder of their funding is to be charged to the TIF funds and no longer from the GF.
Shocking Fact: Revised Page 27 General Fund Expenditures -
It is estimated that total personnel costs for FY09 was $23,565,660. The budget for FY10 is $24,851,929. That’s about a $1.3 million increase in total personnel costs.
Page 23 Revised Pages… “Since the end of FY08, due to retirements and permanent attrition, 16 staff positions have not been filled.”
Hmmmm…
Comment by yinn on July 11, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Did not fill 16 staff positions and instituted a wage freeze (or equivalent) and still it’s $1.3 million more? That is truly hair-raising.
Comment by yinn on July 11, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Was there a press conference Thursday? I’m really surprised our crack reporter from DC didn’t ask about the insurance number considering the most excellent number question coming out of the last June presser.
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